LOT 14
YONG MUN SEN
B. Sarawak, 1896 -1962
House by a River, 1950
Signed and dated Mun Sen 50 on lower left
Watercolour on paper
28 x 39 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
RM 2,000 – 5,000
When Yong came across a scene that spoke to his soul, he would swiftly set up his easel and camp stool, equipped with a brush in hand to relay it on the canvas. Yong’s identification of his subjects’ struggles, including fishermen in seaside villagers, farmers in paddy fields and labourers in plantations took centre stage. His conveyance grants viewers with an immaculate escape, a breath of fresh air or to remind people to break away from the bustling life. It is also evident in his landscape paintings that Yong did not depict the details that made up a landscape, rather, through watercolour, he illustrated fluidity and a carefree rhythm. The ‘House by a River, 1950’ is an illustration of just that, taking viewers back to a time when the waters were pristine, wooden houses on stilts with thatched straw roofs amid nature in all its glory – evoking nostalgia.